Task of the Gods
by Belzac Sagensou
Summary: Taken before their time by a man from another world, four souls are given a task, a task from the very Gods themselves...
1. Prequel: Kami's Court

Well, it's been quite a while since I last wrote anything for this site. Where is my muse...hmmm. Muse style: SUMMONING JUTSU: SEPHIROTH!

Sephiroth: Good to see you, Clo- wait, you're not Cloud.

Me: Ain't that the truth.

Seph: Why am I here, Belzac.

Me: You are my muse for the next few chapters, or until I tire of your presence.

Seph: I see. *Seph closes his eyes and frowns slightly*

Me: ...Well, then, lets get on with it.

Seph: sigh, fine. SUMMON: disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I do not now nor will I ever own the characters, weapons, techniques skills, etc, back story, or original plotline to Naruto, Bleach, FMA, or any other cartoon, anime, tv show, book, or anything else that may or may not appear in this story. I do however own this story, plot, any OCs, techniques, weapons, and such unless stated otherwise that are not strictly used in previously mentioned shows/books/etc. That said, kindly mentally copy and paste this disclaimer to the top of each subsequent chapter as I don't believe in the need to disclaim every single chapter, as this disclaimer applies to all chapters of this story and will not be repeated. Thank you.

And...WHEEEEEEEE.

Summary: Taken before their time by a man from another world, four souls are given the task to help stop the coming destruction, a task from the very Gods themselves.

xX

It was way too bright out, the figure thought. The figure's eyes slowly opened revealing one brown and one blue eye. The figure blinked slowly, vision blurry for a moment, the person laid still for a moment, trying without much success to remember just what happened. Sighing softly, the figure sat up slowly, taking in the surroundings. All around, nothing but whiteness, nothingness. Taking stock, the figure noted they were dressed in a light tan shirt and pants. Standing up slowly and looking around, the figure noted three other figures dressed similarly to itself. Moving over to them, the figure checked to see if they were alive.

"SO YOU ARE AWAKE NOW, HM?" a deep voice laced with power and authority rumbled from seemingly all around the figure, causing it to start in surprise and crouch, hands moving in what must have been muscle memory towards its waist and shoulder then, grasping nothing, assumed a fighting stance.

"PEACE, MORTAL, I MEAN YOU NO HARM. YET." the voice rumbled out again, sounding amused by the actions. Still, the figure kept its guard up.

"Who are you, and where am I?" the figure, now identified as a male by his light baritone, called out, looking around.

Suddenly, the area surrounding the male changed, walls of dark grey stone appearing from nowhere, brackets with lit torches appearing the same way upon them. Turning to survey his new surroundings, the man noticed two of the other people seemed to be waking as well. The fourth figure however, seemed to remain in slumber. The man dropped his stance and moved to assist the other two, checking to make sure they were uninjured. The first, or rather, second to come around was clearly a male. Standing up, the new male stood near six foot, short cut red hair with a small ponytail near the nape of his neck. Stretching, it was easy to tell the male had athletically formed muscles, more of a track body than weight lifter. Turning, his green eyes landed on the other male and he raised a brow, tilting his head in confusion. The other male shook his head slightly as if to say he didn't know where they were before both men turned to the other waking form. This one was obviously female, with long dark blue almost black hair tied in a loose ponytail down her back. Standing, the woman looked around dazedly, her hazel eyes landing on the other two briefly before shifting to the still prone figure on the ground. A scowl marred her face briefly before she moved over and swiftly kicked the other figure, who yelped and jumped up, revealing another male, slightly younger than the other two, who had the same color hair as the female, but his eyes were grey green with flecks of gold. Turning back to the others, the woman crossed her arms under her chest, glaring at the two males.

"GOOD, YOU ARE ALL AWAKE. DO NOT FEAR, I WILL APPEAR IN FRONT OF YOU, MORTALS." the same deep voice from before was heard before anyone else could speak, reminding the first male that it was there and causing everyone to jump. A flash of light appeared in the darkest corner of the room, blinding the four humans briefly as a hazy figure materialized slowly. As the four watched, dazed, a tall figure appeared before them. It looked like a demon from an old asian flick, with long shaggy bone white hair framing an ashen grey wrinkled face. Two horns adorned the figure's head, causing the younger male to squeak slightly and make warding signs with his fingers briefly. As the rest of the figure stepped into view from the shadows, the group saw it was dressed in a long white overcoat and pants, leaving its chest bare. A small tanto was held in its mouth, the creature's teeth gripping the hilt leaving the blade bare. As the figure approached, the group felt as though the air itself grew heavy and shook with the things power and presence. The figure stopped several feet away from the group, towering over them by several feet as it craned its neck to stare down at them.

"YOU FOUR, WHOM WERE TAKEN BEFORE YOUR TIME BY ONE WHO DOES NOT BELONG TO YOUR WORLD HAVE NEVERTHELESS BEEN BROUGHT BEFORE ME TO DECIDE YOUR FATE OF ETERNAL BLISS OR ETERNAL DAMNATION. HOWEVER, I, BEING THE GOD OF DEATH OF ANOTHER REALM THAN YOUR OWN, THUSLY CANNOT DECIDE YOUR FATE COMPLETELY. NAME YOURSELVES, MORTALS." the figure spoke without moving its mouth. Indeed, the voice still seemed to come from all around the group. Stepping forward, the man who woke first moved in front of the others slightly, his face assuming a calm look, though on the inside, his mind was screaming in slight fear, slight awe at this 'God of Death'. Gazing up at the creature, he bowed slightly.

"My name is Cain Takama, leader of Zero Squad, poetry and old weapons enthusiast." the man spoke, his deep tenor voice steady belying his inner feelings. Standing, he stepped back and motioned the others to introduce themselves.

"Ryujin Fumodotoji, second in command Zero Squad, mystic arts specialist." the red haired male spoke quietly, deep voice seemingly shaking the air slightly as he bowed and stepped back.

"Seravina Shirayuki, intelligence officer of Zero Squad." the only woman said shortly, but politely, her soft soprano bouncing off the walls. Lastly, the youngest male stepped forward.

"Kuro Noshu Kenshin, medic of Zero Squad." the male spoke excitedly yet quietly, twitching slightly as he bowed. The Shinigami seemed to nod at this and turned towards a door that suddenly appeared in the wall next to it.

"VERY WELL MORTALS COME, WE HAVE A MEETING TO ATTEND TO. IT CONCERNS YOUR FATE SO MAKE HASTE." the Shinigami spoke before disappearing into the darkness. A collective breath was released as the air around the four lifted, calming them down slightly as the group turned towards each other. The leader sighed and shrugged his shoulders before motioning the group towards the door and out into a brightly lit and lavish hallway. Blinking at the sudden light, the group paused to take in their new surroundings for a moment.

"Well, quite the decor for the Gods, don't you think?" the woman, Seravina, spoke up, eying a nearby ornate and ancient looking vase with interest. Shaking her head, she continued down the hall, the others following silently. It was true, the hallway was filled with interesting decorations ranging from pottery, to works of art(somewhere in the mortal realm, a certain blonde haired feminine male sneezed, as did a seemingly wooden puppet causing the blonde to lose focus and blow up his house and the puppet to trip into a chasm) to particularly ornate and well worn weapons of all kinds, perking the interest of Cain and to an extent, the other two males as well. Reaching the end of the hall, the group stood before a large wooden door carved with amazing detail on some battle from long ago. Reaching up to knock, Cain was stopped by the door seeming to open on its own, leaving him to stand there like an idiot with one hand raised. Shaking off his trepidation, he squared his shoulders and led the group into the room, the door closing silently behind them.

In front of the group was set two tables. The first was smaller, and empty save for four chairs, leading the group to realize this was where they would sit. The second table, however, was much larger and artistically decorated with carved ivory. Seated around the second table was a group of six of the most beautiful people the four had ever seen, as well as the Shinigami from before. The Death God was seated at the far left, eyes intently focused on the group and causing the four to shiver unconsciously. Next to him sat an old man dressed in white robes with a long white beard. Several clocks and watches hung from the male's beard. This was the God of Time. Next to him sat a much younger male with dark hair and a mischievous twinkle in his eye, obviously the God of mischief. Next to him, instead of a chair, there was a slightly elevated throne, upon which sat the most beautiful female the group had ever seen. Dressed in white robes that hugged her curves perfectly, her long blonde hair flowing in waves framed her face almost unnaturally. This was Kami herself, leader of the Gods and creator of the world. On Kami's left sat three women. In the chair on Kami's left sat a beautiful female, this one the strangest of the bunch as she wore a robe made of water, her skin was like dirt, her eyes crackled with electricity and her hair was on fire, which seemed to moved in a nonexistent wind. She was the Goddess of Elements. Next to her sat a perky brown haired pixie of a female, dressed in a long flowing dress that hugged her curves like a glove yet moved like water over her skin when she moved. This was the Goddess of Luck. Finally in the last chair sat a middle aged woman with red hair that sat just above her shoulders. This was the Goddess of Fate and Destiny. As the four mortals moved into the room and walked over to the chairs, the Gods, who had been conversing before, went silent, observing the group in front of them. Slightly unnerved by the presence of the Gods, the four bowed simultaneously before sitting in the chairs provided.

"So then, these are the four mortals that were transported by that mortal's technique into our world, brother?" began Kami, her soft voice belying her true power. Her voice was warm and calming, leading the four to relax slightly as they felt some of the tension leave them.

"INDEED, DEAR SISTER, AND AS YOU KNOW, I CANNOT SEND THEM TO OUR WORLD'S HEAVEN OR HELL AS THEY ARE FROM ANOTHER WORLD AND AS SUCH, ARE BOUND TO ANOTHER DEATH GOD." the Shinigami replied, still speaking without moving his mouth. Nodding, Kami folded her hands in front of her and leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands.

"Yes, I remember. Now, whatever shall we do with you? As things stand, we cannot send you home, nor can we, as you have technically died, send you to the afterlife in our world. At least, not at the moment. Inter dimensional ravel for mortals is strictly prohibited. Yet, by the laws we have set for the Gods, neither can we interfere to correct the situation while the man who did this possesses this power to transcend death. He is beyond our reach at the moment." Kami continued, glancing at the other Gods. Frowning in confusion, Cain stood slightly from his chair.

"Why can you not simply erase this man from the world? I mean, aren't the Gods all powerful?" he spoke, tilting his head slightly. Kami and the other Gods shook their heads.

"We cannot interfere with mortals in the mortal realm directly unless directly summoned by its inhabitants. This is a law that was set by the Gods eons ago after the world's creation, with the exception of such powers as Luck and Fate possess, or the powers of my brother, Shinigami. Even then, they are limited and as the man has somehow managed to transcend a boundary to keep himself above the reaches of my brother's range of powers, we cannot fix this immediately. However, there may be an alternate solution." Kami replied. Turning to her fellow Gods, she tilted her head questioningly. As the other six nodded, Kami turned back to face the four.

"Let me guess, Kami-sama, this alternate route involves us, doesn't it?" Seravina spoke up, gazing up at the gods. Kami nodded and leaned forward.

"While we may not be able to directly influence the mortal realm, it is well within our collective powers to return you to life in this world, as this is where you died. Our alternate route is simple, yet complicated. We are willing to bring you four back to life as well as imbue you with special powers and abilities, to a limited point of course, if you will undertake a Task of Kami's Court. If you undertake this Task, we will be able to circumvent the bylaws regarding returning you back to your world, should you so wish it, as the Gods would be honor bound to accede to any request made once the Task is complete, up to a point. The Task, is to protect a young boy who will grow up to face the man who killed you, and assist him in destroying that man. Should you accept this Task, we will grant you four special powers or abilities of your choosing, for use until you have succeeded in your Task. Do you accept?" Kami said.

The four glanced at each other briefly before turning back to Kami.

"What will happen if we do not take on the job? Also, if we do, we can choose any special power or ability, no matter if it is a real one or not?" Cain asked, speaking for his team. Kami shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"If you choose not to take the job, you'll be bound here for eternity, as we cannot do anything in your case. As for special abilities and such, it is within our power to make the grand majority of fictional powers real." She replied. Cain nodded and glanced at his team, who shrugged and nodded.

"Very well, Kami sama. We will accept the Task appointed to us. As far as details go, could you explain more on how this will work?" Cain said, curious. Kami smiled at the four and nodded.

"You are truly brave, Cain Takama, Seravina Shirayuki, Kuro Noshu Kenshin, Ryujin Fumodotoji. Firstly, you may each request four powers or abilities, within reason. Meaning, we will not grant you immortality or the power to destroy the world, for example. Next, we will begin the process of bringing you back to life which will involve imbuing your bodies with a chakra network, which is what is used to power all abilities in this world, as well as integrate knowledge of this world into your memories, from places to how to control your chakra. Now then, we shall allow you to make your ability requests which may be for example, master swordsmanship or elemental control." Kami replied, smiling slightly. Cain nodded and turned to his team. All four leaned back in their chairs and thought about what abilities they would want. Seravina stood first, nodding to herself. Turning to look at Kami, she coughed slightly.

"I believe I know what I want. I wish for my first power, the power and abilities of the Deep Blue Sea Dragoon spirit from Legend of dragoon, a video game in our world. For my second power, I want the ability to manipulate shadows. For my third ability I wish to have a tiger familiar, and be able to understand cats. For my last ability I wish for the ability to merely touch a book or person and be able to absorb all the knowledge contained within." Seravina said, bowing her head slightly. Kami glanced at her fellow Gods before turning back to the woman and nodding.

"It shall be so, child." Kami spoke, before turning to Ryujin, who had stepped forward as well.

"I have decided my powers, Kami sama. I wish for the ability to understand and speak to all animals, master control and manipulation of earth element, to be able to teleport anywhere with a blink, and the ability to shape shift into anything." he spoke. Kami nodded and turned to the next, Kuro.

"My requests are simple, Kami sama. I wish for the abilities of a druid, mastery of lightning element like Raiden from mortal Kombat, the power to heal any wound both of my own and others, and the abilities of Colossus from Xmen." he murmured barely loud enough for the others to hear. Once again, Kami nodded. Finally, Cain glanced up and faced the Gods.

"I have decided, Kami sama. I wish for mastery of fire and wind elements, mastery of all bladed weapons, and all the abilities of a soul reaper from Bleach, an anime from my world, including my own Zanpakuto. Is this acceptable?" he spoke, causing the Gods to deliberate for a moment on his last request.

"It is. Very well then, we will begin the process of converting your bodies. You will all receive enough chakra for high chunin to mid jounin level ninjas, as well as your requested abilities, and the chakra control of mid chunins. Your knowledge will include history and locations of all the Villages in the elemental nations, as well as on basic subjects such as weapons usage and chakra control exercises. It will also include mid level knowledge of sealing arts and how to perform such techniques as Clone jutsu, replacement jutsu, Transform jutsu and body flicker jutsu as well as how to release genjutsu, illusion techniques. The knowledge on how to use your abilities as well will also be included. Now, prepare yourselves. This will be quite painful." Kami replied, standing along with the other Gods and Goddesses. As one, the Court of Kami raised their hands and waved them at the four humans, murmuring in a strange language. Bright multi colored lights appeared and surrounded the group as the room slowly faded into darkness.

As the room completely disappeared, leaving the four humans alone, Kami's voice sounded out from all around them.

"Good luck in your Task, Chosen of Kami's Court."

Then, the pain hit, as though their veins were on fire, and as one, the group screamed themselves into unconsciousness.

xX

Ugh I kind of feel like I could have written that better. Ah well, what can I say I'm six years rusty. You know one thing that bugs me? The fact that some random ass lawyers have nothing better to do than to troll fanfiction and look for people to sue for character/plot/whatever theft. I mean, its called FAN FICTION for a reason, if any of us owned the characters, these wouldn't be on here, they would be plotlines for the real thing. its pretty stupid that something that is generally acknowledged has to be stated in the story. Anyways, until next time.

See ya!


	2. Chapter 1: The First Meeting

Me: Welcome to the next chapter of Task of the Gods, brought to you today in part, by Sharingan Industries, makers of the Hypnotize your friends kits!...Anyways, Muse style summoning: Wolverine!

Wolverine: what the hell bub?

Me: I need inspiration, Logan!

Wolverine: *unsheathes claws*

Me: uh, that's good enough, heh *sweatdrops*

On with the show! Disclaimer same as before.

xX

The sounds of nature are quite relaxing. The babbling of the brooks and rivers, the wind whistling through the trees, the animals and forest critters frolicking through the grassy meadows, the terrified and pain filled screams of a young boy...Wait, what?

A young boy no older than six with blonde hair and shiny blue eyes was running through the streets, dodging into and out of alleyways trying to dodge the latest mob of drunk people. And failing miserably. If one was to stop and think about it, even if the crowd was drunk, the boy was still a young boy, with smaller legs, lungs...just about everything. Except stamina. Which was indeed the only reason he had been able to keep ahead of the mob that was screaming for his head while chasing him with torches and pitchforks like he was a witch in Salem. Anyways, the young boy had been minding his own business as he attempted to enjoy the festival that had taken over the market district of Konoha. Unfortunately for the boy, he had nearly immediately been recognized by nearby denizens of a bar, which had led to his current predicament.

It must have been some bad stroke of luck or fate that the boy had gone to the festival on that particular day down that particular street past that particular group...Sounds like mere coincidence, no?( in another realm two beautiful females sneezed, causing the paperwork they had just finished to go flying all over the room)

As the streets of Konoha gave way to the trees and clearings of the shinobi training grounds, the boy, now nearly totally exhausted, entered a clearing and fearfully looked around for a place to hide. Spying a hollowed log laying near the center of the field, the boy made a mad dash towards it only for several sharp knives to come hurtling out of the woods nearby and slam painfully into his legs causing him to scream. As he lay on the ground in agony, the mob caught up to and surrounded the boy, laughing harshly. Soon the mob began the beatings, kicking and throwing things at the boy as he cried out and begged for them to stop. He never knew what he did to deserve this, only that it happened often if he was out at night. As the mob started to slow in their torture of the boy, three people stepped forward, dressed in standard shinobi clothing for chunin ninjas. Nodding to each other as the crowd backed away to give them room, the three began doing hand signs in unison, running through a set quickly and ending on the tiger hand sign. As the three ninjas raised their hands to their mouths and began to exhale fire, something unexpected happened.

In a flurry of movement, the fireballs the ninjas had sent towards the boy suddenly stopped in midair before heading back towards the ninjas whose eyes widened in shock and fear briefly before the fireballs consumed them. As this happened, three figures appeared in flashes of elemental light between the remaining mob and the boy, two of them taking up guard stances while the third bent over the boy, his hands glowing with green light. Standing slightly behind where the three ninjas had been standing before, stood a single figure, his hands raised towards where the fires still burned before he flicked his hands and the fires were suddenly extinguished. Slowly, the figure lowered his hands and turned towards the crowd, his face a blank slate clear of any emotions as he gazed at the people.

Silence reigned for a few short moments before suddenly the wind shifted slightly as several new figures dressed in armor and wearing masks appeared between the crowd and the figure, hands on their sword hilts as another much older figure in robes and a large hat appeared, causing the crowd to gasp and shiver from the look of cold fury on the old figures face.

"ANBU Squads four and five, round up these villagers and take them to Ibiki for questioning about breaking the Sandaime's Law. Squads two and three, remain here." the old man spoke authoritatively before turning to assess the four figures and the prone boy, a flash of concern in his eyes as they fell upon the boys figure.

"The boy will be fine. Kuro is quite an accomplished medic. I am Cain Takama. Who are you, and why were those civilians and soldiers targeting a defenseless boy so viciously?" stated the now identified fourth figure. The old man narrowed his eyes slightly at the other man and crossed his arms slightly.

"I am the Sandaime Hokage, leader of Konoha Hiruzen Sarutobi. As for why the people were attacking young Naruto, well I cannot tell you as you are strangers in my village. Which brings to light a question of my own. How were you all able to get into my village and what is your intentions here? I know that you did not enter through the gate, nor did you or your companions trigger the barrier." Sarutobi replied, motioning towards the others. Cain nodded and turned his head to glance briefly at the boy, Naruto and Kuro. As Sarutobi took a step towards the boy, Cain moved in front of him, shifting into a loose guard stance.

"I'm sorry, I know you claim to be the leader of this village and all, but I cannot let you pass until it has been confirmed that you will not harm the boy like those others did." Cain stated coldly, his actions causing the remaining ANBU to shift into battle stances as well. However, a wave from the old man had them relax once more. Turning back to Cain, Sarutobi nodded.

"Though I still do not know who you and your group are or why you are interested in Naruto, I simply wish to ascertain that he is ok. He is like a grandson to me." Sarutobi replied. At that moment, Kuro stood, lifting the boy into his arms and turning towards the group.

"His injuries have been taken care of and as such, he is no longer in a potentially life threatening condition. Might I suggest we get the boy into a warm room perhaps with a bed for him to rest?" Kuro stated, causing the Konoha leader's face to twitch at the medic's words.

"Perhaps we can take this meeting to my office and you can explain who you are why you are here and what you meant by potentially life threatening injuries. While I cannot inform you of the details, Naruto possesses a fairly advanced healing ability that nearly assures that most potentially fatal injuries heal rather quickly." Sarutobi stated, motioning for his remaining ANBU to disperse save for Squad Three, Tiger, Dog, Cat, Snake and Weasel. Cain nodded and motioned for his own group to follow the Hokage and his escorts to the Hokage's office.

Once inside the tower, Kuro laid the boy on the nearby couch as the other two took up guard positions next to them and Cain stood in front of the desk. The Hokage sat in his chair as ANBU Squad three moved to take up their normal guard positions. Tiger and Dog moved into the shadows behind the Hokage while Snake Weasel and Cat disappeared against the opposite wall. Leaning back in his chair, Sarutobi motioned for Cain to begin explaining.

"First off, I'll start by introducing my team. I am Cain Takama, that is my second in command Ryujin Fumodotoji, the woman is Seravina Shirayuki, my intelligence officer, and lastly but certainly not least is my medic, Kuro Noshu Kenshin," Cain began, pointing to each of his team members as he named them, who nodded, waved and smiled shyly, respectively.

"Second, please activate the privacy seals so this conversation does not leave the room." Cain said, causing the Hokage to run through some hand seals and the room to glow momentarily.

" Now, Sarutobi san, would you like the believable version or the unbelievable version of our story?" Cain continued, causing the Hokage to blink in confusion.

"Why would you ask such a question, Takama san?" the Hokage replied.

"Well, our story is quite a tale, I was curious if you wanted the short non detailed version or the slightly longer but less believable version." Cain responded, a slight grin on his face.

"Well then, I suppose the shorter version first then the longer one."

"Very well. The short version, we were sent by Kami's Court to fulfill a Task that involves protecting Naruto and killing Madara Uchiha" Cain said nonchalantly, his face completely serious. This, of course caused several reactions which included the Hokage bursting out laughing, Weasel losing control of his concealing jutsu and faceplanting from shock, and the collective thought from the remaining ANBU of 'This guy is nuckin futz'. Shortly, the laughter died down and Weasel regained his composure and jutsu, as the Hokage realized Cain was completely serious.

"What you claim, is quite impossible. Setting aside being emissaries of Kami, Madara Uchiha has been dead for the past sixty years!" Sarutobi exclaimed, looking at the other male warily. Cain shook his head in the negative.

"I assure you, the man is very much alive. Of course, I do remember stating previously that one version would be unbelievable, the other slightly less so, so there you have it. Madara Uchiha developed a technique shortly before he fought your First Hokage. This technique allowed him to transcend the boundaries not only to place himself above death, but to cross the dimensional barriers. During the fight with Hashirama, he used the jutsu to escape death and landed in our world. Sixty years ago, Madara Uchiha single handedly transported the four of us to this dimension, where he then killed us." Cain continued. As his words sounded more and more unbelievable, Sarutobi started thinking about possibly having to remove the four strangers and have them locked up pending a session with Ibiki, and possibly Inoichi too. Noticing the elder male's reactions to his story and knowing what the man was most likely thinking, Cain sighed.

"Look, I can tell you don't believe a word I am saying, so allow me to show you a bit of proof." Cain said, reaching into a pouch on his waist causing the shinobi in the room to tense before he pulled out a small hand sized data pad. Setting it on the table in front of the Hokage, he reached down to press a button only to find the blades of two ninja-to at his throat. Sighing he paused, looking up at the aged Hokage.

"Please allow for this demonstration, Sarutobi san. No harm will come to anyone in this room, you have my word." Cain said. The Hokage nodded after a moment's deliberation and motioned to the two ANBU to remove their swords. Leaning forwards, Cain pressed the power button on the screen, causing it to light up and project an image in the air above it. As the light pixels came together, the image of a man appeared.

"This is the security camera footage of the attack that brought us to this world, and our subsequent death at the hands of this man." Cain explained, the picture suddenly moving and rolling through the events. Pressing another button, Cain froze the footage at a certain point and looked towards the Hokage, who was staring at the frozen footage in shock and disbelief.

With good reason too, as the frozen picture was of Madara Uchiha with his sharingan active, barely looking a day older than the last time Sarutobi had seen him, nearly sixty years prior.

Shaking out of his stupor, Sarutobi looked at the other man as he turned off the hand held and returned it to his pouch. Sighing, he rubbed his wrinkled hands over his eyes wearily as he let his mind reflect on this information. After a few moments, he lowered his hand and gazed at the other man with sharper eyes.

"Very well, I will believe your story for now. Now what is it you are here to do?" Hiruzen stated wearily. Cain shrugged and looked at the still sleeping boy.

"Like I said before, we are here to watch over and protect the boy, and when the time comes, assist him in defeating Madara. Other than that, we have no motives or anything else." Cain replied. Sarutobi glanced over to the boy as well and his eyes softened. Straightening, he addressed the medic, Kuro.

"You said his injuries were potentially life threatening, how so?" he asked, making the medic jump slightly at being put on the spot like that.

"Well, the knife wounds to his legs severed his femoral artery in three places, he had multiple broken ribs two of which nearly punctured his heart and one that punctured straight through his left lung. Aside from that, there was massive swelling in his spine in four places as well as a fractured wrist, broken elbow forearm and shoulder cuff, and one part of his skull was fractured so badly I'm surprised the splinters didn't turn his brain into mush." Kuro stated impassively. With each new injury listed, the Hokage and his ANBU grew progressively pale. Any given two of those injuries on anyone else would have guaranteed near instant death if not a horribly drawn out and painful one. Shaking with rage, Sarutobi took several deep breaths before motioning to one of the ANBU.

"Cat, you have a priority mission. Inform Ibiki that the criminals apprehended this evening are to be classified under T&I regulation Zulu. As such, as soon as he is done, they are to be executed. Make sure to inform him this is to be done quickly and before the Civilian council gets word of it. Understand?" he ground out harshly. Anbu Cat stood straight at attention and saluted crisply.

"Understood sir!" she replied, her voice dripping with venom as she shunshined away swiftly. Sarutobi turned back to the four and sighed.

"He truly doesn't deserve this. You must be an amazing medic with chakra stores of a kage to heal all of that alone and so quickly. For that, I thank you." he continued, turning to Cain.

"For now, I will allow you to stay in the village, and grant you citizenship papers and if you so desire, entrance into the ninja ranks, though if you wish for that, we will have to test you to determine your rank, as well as place you on probationary status for six months. For now, it is late, and I am sure you all must be tired. I will grant you the temporary use of an apartment nearby. Also, I would like you to be back in my office tomorrow for a full debriefing on your story.

Anbu Dog and Weasel, please escort our guests to the hotel and set them up in the Hokage suite for the night." Hiruzen finished. The two Anbu appeared kneeling before the desk and stood, nodding their heads before turning and motioning for the four to follow them. Kuro reached over and picked up Naruto and headed out the door, followed shortly by Seravina and Ryujin, as well as Dog, as Cain turned back to Sarutobi and nodded.

"Thank you for that, Hokage sama. We will take Naruto with us as well to make sure he's safe. You are more than welcome to have your guards keep an eye on us as well, though I think, you'll be doing that anyways. Until tomorrow then." Cain said, bowing slightly before turning and following his team out the door and towards the hotel. Sarutobi sighed wearily, taking a seat and resting his head in his hands, rubbing at his eyes. Turning to face the window, he gazed out over the village bathed in darkness, his expression somber.

_Minato, what would you have done, I wonder..._ he thought to himself.

oOOo

_The following morning._

Sunlight peeked through the shades of a window, gently waking the sleeping boy. As his eyes opened on the unfamiliar room, he sat up quickly, bright blue eyes darting around the room fearfully. The last thing he could remember was running from the mob, and then pain. A lot of pain.

"Calm down, Naruto. you're perfectly safe here." came a soft female voice from the doorway, which had opened to reveal a shapely young woman about 5'6 with hazel eyes and long dark blue hair tied in a ponytail. She was dressed in calf length black shinobi pants and a sleeveless dark blue shirt under a lighter blue flak jacket vest. Smiling at the confused boy, she slowly made her way over to the bed and set down the tray she was carrying, upon which lay several plates of breakfast foods. Motioning for him to eat, she moved over to the window and raised the shades to allow more sunlight into the room, brightening it up some. Warily, Naruto took a few suspicious sniffs at the food and, finding nothing odd smelling, took a few bites out of it. Seeing this, the woman snorted, drawing his attention back to her. Crossing her arms under her chest, she shook her head at the boy, chuckling softly.

"It's not poisoned or anything, kid. Go ahead and eat up." she said, turning and taking a seat in a nearby chair. Naruto tilted his head slightly to the side and frowned slightly. Shaking his head, he turned back to the food and dug in, showing all the manners(or lack thereof) of a six year old who had never been taught any, causing the woman to laugh softly and shake her head. Once he had finished the food on the tray, Naruto glanced up at the woman only to realize she had disappeared and was replaced with a guy with shorter hair wearing similar clothes as the woman, except his vest was greenish yellow. As the guy approached him, Naruto scooted back against the headboard, causing the man to stop and raise his hands in a soothing gesture.

"Do not fear, Naruto, I'm just going to check to make sure you are fully healed and that I didn't miss anything last night." the man said, to which the young boy nodded and relaxed a bit.

"Who are you? Where am I? What happened? Do you know where the old man in the funny hat is?" Naruto asked as the man checked him over. The man chuckled gently and stepped back.

"Well let's see. I am Kuro, you are in a hotel room in Konoha, you were heavily injured last night and I helped save you, and I'm guessing you're talking about the Hokage. Well, he's in a meeting with my boss right now, I believe." Kuro replied, chuckling as he counted off the answers to the boy's questions.

"Who was the beautiful lady who gave me food? Who's your boss? Can you take me to the old man in the funny hat?" Naruto asked, tilting his head as he fired off more questions at light speed.

"Slow down, kid, sheesh. Has anyone ever told you, you ask too many questions? Anyways, I'm guessing you're referring to Sera, she's one of my teammates. My Boss is Cain, and I suppose I could when my boss summons us." Kuro told the boy, who whooped for joy at the last one and tackle hugged the elder man, screaming his thanks. He had been looking for the old man for a long time but nobody would tell him where he was. Chuckling, Kuro pulled the overly happy child off of him and set him back on the bed.

"Calm down, kid, it's no big deal." Kuro told him.

"Yes it is I been looking for the old man for a long time but nobody would tell me where he was, Kuro oni-san!" Naruto blurted, now bouncing on the bed. Raising an eyebrow at the form of address, Kuro looked at the tray of food the boy had eaten, spying the remains of sugary cereal and an obscene amount of syrup. Shaking his head at the foods of choice Sera had given the boy, Kuro could only watch as Naruto near literally bounced off the walls from a sugar rush.

Meanwhile, At the Hokage's office...

Cain had just finished explaining in detail the group's story leaving a slightly shocked Sarutobi and his three Anbu sitting there in silence. Shaking out of his shock, Sarutobi rubbed at his eyes roughly before refocusing on Cain.

"Well, that is quite as you said, an unbelievable story. Although, the evidence you have presented has more than proven the truth of the matter. So then, what are you going to do from here?" Sarutobi asked.

"Well, my team and I discussed the plans of action last night and decided that we would, with your permission, form an offshoot of your Anbu specifically dedicated to the protection of Naruto and dealing with high ranked threats, such as Madara. If that is not possible, we will accept commissions into the ninja ranks under the conditions that we form our own base team, and that at least one of use at any given time is bound in village until Naruto becomes a genin, for the purposes of our primary mission. In the majority of cases, the one member of my team we would like dedicated to this task is Kuro, as he is best suited to healing not frontline fighting anyways, and can serve a dual purpose as a medic nin in the hospital as well as protecting Naruto. Is this acceptable to you, Hokage-sama?" Cain replied. The Hokage thought it over for several minutes.

"First, I would like to set up a placement test to determine how powerful you all are. I will withhold my judgment pending that, if I may. It would not make sense to form you all into a squad of Anbu and later learn that only one or even none of you has the ability to back it up. Precautionary measures, of course. I believe I can schedule one of the private secluded Anbu training facilities for this purpose for later this evening, if it suits you and your team, Takama san?" Sarutobi said. Cain nodded before pulling out a small device and speaking into it. Shortly after, a knock was heard on the door before it opened admitting Kuro and a streak of yellow and blue which slammed into Sarutobi screaming "OLD MAN!" before anyone could react. Chuckling softly, Kuro entered the room and nodded to Cain as Sarutobi peeled the wiggly ball of energy that was Naruto off of him and set him down on his desk. Turning back to the two, he smiled.

"Well then, I'll reserve a spot for your team's test later this evening. Until then, you are free to do as you wish as long as you are accompanied by one of my Anbu. For now, I believe I need to treat this little bundle of energy to ramen." the Hokage said, ruffling the boy's hair as he did so before being nearly dragged from the room by the now extremely happy six year old. Cain nodded to Kuro who rolled his eyes and followed, along with two of the hidden Anbu, the third shadowing Cain as he headed back to the hotel room they were occupying.

Xx

Well then, another annoyingly eh chapter. It'll get better as I get back into the swing of things. Next up, the demonstration test, with a twist! Until then, I bid thee,

Adieu.


	3. Chapter 2: Enter Danzo and the Elders

Ok, so I finally realized that I haven't gone in depth to character descriptions other than a brief bit here and there. Well, I should let you all know that thus far, the character clothing has changed at least twice. in the first chapter, they were wearing "godly rags" for lack of a better term. plain shirt and pants. then the beginning of last chapter even though I never said it, they were all wearing essentially the same thing with bits and pieces modified for each character, like the colors of their vests, among other things. I'll be going in depth here and then at the bottom AN I'll be rolling out detailed character sheets. Anyways...exploding sock puppets!

...and ACTION! Disclaimer same as previously stated.

xX

The remaining three travelers sat in various areas of the main room of their hotel room. Currently, Seravina sat on one of the couches with her personal data pad, doing what she did best, sorting through and filing away information on many differing subjects while humming quietly to herself. Over near a large window, Ryujin sat in the lotus position, eyes shut, meditating. As for the leader of the team, Cain sat out on the railing of the balcony that ran from one end of the room to the other ending at the open window by Ryujin. Currently, Cain was gazing off into the skies, cloudwatching while deep in thought. It was to this scene that Kuro, Naruto and the Hokage came upon, back from their trip to the local ramen stand, Ichiraku's. Kuro carried the now sleeping boy to the same room he had woken up in and laid him in bed, covering him with the blanket before returning to the main room. As he re-entered the room, Cain came back inside from the balcony as Seravina put away her data pad and Ryujin stood up and stretched from his meditation. Gathering around the table, the group took a seat, Seravina and Kuro on one couch, Ryujin taking the other while Cain sat in one of the end chairs. All four focused their attention on the aged Hokage.

"Well now. I've made arrangements for you all to be tested at one of our secluded private facilities. I will have my Anbu escort you there at five thirty for your test at six. Also, I will make sure that the testing remains private using barrier and privacy seals, as I know you don't want your abilities to be far known, and as such, only myself, Anbu Squad Three and the Anbu Commander will be watching. Now, if you'll excuse me-" the Hokage said, before being interrupted by a knock at the door. Frowning, Sarutobi signaled one of his hidden Anbu to open it, seeing as nobody should be aware that anyone was here. The Anbu opened the door to reveal three more elderly people, one woman and two males. The woman and one of the males were dressed similarly in tan robes with the kanji for council emblazoned on the front, while the third male was dressed in darker robes. This man had bandages wrapped around his head and had one arm in a sling, and walked into the room leaning heavily on a cane. Cain and his team's eyes narrowed slightly at the man's actions. While they were by all means guests, it was still their hotel room and as such, the man should have asked permission to enter. Stopping partway into the room, the bandaged man turned to Sarutobi.

"Good afternoon Sarutobi san. We had heard that you had been entertaining some guests that had entered the village illegally and were wondering why, instead of placing them immediately under arrest, you instead placed them in a lavish hotel room, compromising village security. Not to mention, the sudden arrests and executions of seventeen civilians on no apparent grounds and without trial. Therefore, we of the council immediately became concerned for your wellbeing and rushed over here to make sure all was well." the bandaged man began, his oily voice immediately setting Cain and the others even more on edge, though they didn't show it. Sarutobi simply shrugged and turned to the man and the other two councilors.

"Well, Danzo, I don't recall anyone inviting you in, first off. Secondly, in regards to the executed civilians, the reason for it was breaking several serious laws. As for your misplaced concerns about compromised security, I wonder where you get your information from, as the only ones who were aware of any 'illegal' entry by the mentioned parties were in fact myself and my ANBU, leading me to curiosity on which of my Anbu will be visiting Ibiki for divulging classified information to non cleared parties. Besides, These four are here to discuss private personal matters with me, and therefore do not concern you or the council." Sarutobi smoothly replied, making Danzo's eyes widen slightly and the other two to choke slightly.

"Be that as it may, Sarutobi, they are still here without any paperwork, I assume, otherwise they would have gone through proper channels and entered Konoha legitimately. Also, I could not help but overhear some of your conversation a few moments ago. Is it right that you are commandeering an ANBU training ground to test these four for entry placement in the ninja ranks? I believe such matters are supposed to be run through the village council as they concern the village as well as the shinobi populace." Danzo replied, attempting to steer the conversation back in his favor. Sarutobi smiled frostily and was about to reply before a sudden burst of laughter brought all attention to Cain, who quieted down and smirked at the man.

"Setting aside the fact that you so rudely entered our hotel room without asking permission to do so, and the fact that pursuant to Konoha Village Law, you are required to address the Hokage by title and with respect-" Cain started.

"We have a right to enter any residence as long as we have reasonable cause, boy." the male councilor spat, interrupting him and earning him a frosty glare from Sarutobi as well as Ryujin and Seravina, making him flinch back slightly.

"Not to mention your complete and utter bullshit excuse to enter the hotel room as the Hokage and several ANBU are already on the premises in the room. Which brings into play the remainder of the law you were so eloquently quoting, as it states 'active SHINOBI, if given reasonable cause, may at any time enter a residence or building only after first attempting to gain response from occupants within and must loudly and clearly state who they are and that they are entering said structure.' I believe this was to avoid such incidents of shinobi walking in on females just getting out of showers and the like. As I'm sure none of you are active shinobi, given your age and apparent physical fitness-" here he motioned to Danzo's injuries and the other man's 'potbelly' "-you lack the right to exercise that particular law. Setting THAT aside, I wonder how you were able to hear anything at all, seeing as Ryujin set up a silencing barrier seal for the purposes of our discussion. Care to explain how you managed to break through that, sir?" Cain finished, his tone and expression almost bored though his eyes glinted slightly.

Danzo, who was about to lay into the brat for daring to quote Konoha Law to the elders, not to mention making cracks on their expense, froze at the mention of a silencing barrier. Glancing to the side, he belatedly noticed the slight hazy glow to the walls, ceiling and floor. Narrowing his eyes slightly as he gripped his cane hard enough to make the wood crack, Danzo seethed at being outplayed by this brat and his teammate. Turning to face the Hokage, he scowled slightly.

"Very well, Sarutobi, let us pretend I did not ask about your conversation and we shall overlook the fact that you have allowed these four into the village. Good day." Danzo managed to say before turning and leaving along with the other two councilors. As the door shut, Cain burst out laughing once more as the 'glow' faded from the room.

"I can't believe we managed to make that man fool himself! Good job with the lightning manipulation by the way, Kuro, you managed it perfectly." Cain complimented the medic, who gave him a slightly weary smile in return. Sarutobi just stood there, shaking his head slightly at the display of power and knowledge of the Konoha laws.

"Well then, as I was saying, I'll have my Anbu escort you to the demonstration grounds, though now, I think, we may have to set up additional measures to ensure Danzo and the other elders cannot get in." Sarutobi said, bringing everyone back on focus. Cain nodded and scowled slightly.

"I do not doubt we'll be hearing quite a bit from that man soon. Most likely he'll realize he was tricked with the silence barrier bit, seeing as whenever you break the perimeter of a barrier, it tends to shut it down, so opening the door would have caused a real one to collapse. No doubt he will have summoned the rest of the village council to attempt to gain access to the test site. Though he won't get far on that regardless of what excuse he tries, seeing as because its ANBU grounds, it falls under direct jurisdiction of the Hokage and ANBU, and nothing the village council can say or do will change that. Though, I do recommend keeping an eye out for any ANBU personnel who should not be near the grounds, as somehow one or more of them leaking information to the council on the events of last night." Cain stated. Sarutobi nodded and stood, heading for the door himself.

"I will have some members I trust look into that. Until this evening then, Takama san, Fumodotoji san, Shirayuki san, Kenshin san. I must get back to my paperwork. For the life of me, I still do not get how it seems to grow no matter how much I finish. Mostly useless things I am supposed to place a stamp on." the Hokage grumbled, stepping out. Cain's eyes narrow in suspicion. He made a mental note to make a sweep of Sarutobi's office later for any seals that should not be there, as well as take a look at some of the discarded 'useless' papers. Shaking his head slightly, he turned to his team and nodded.

"Alright, Sera, I want you to find out everything you can on this Danzo. I think he's got ulterior motives regarding the village, especially if he has ears in ANBU and even more so as he's one of the councilors and believes he can throw around his weight against the Hokage." Cain started, flashing into 'commander mode'. Sera nodded and immediately plugged into her data pad. Cain turned to his second.

"Ryu, you're on supplies requisition. We'll need a full boat of gear, kunai, shuriken, wire, pouches, senbon for Kuro, clothing, custom weapons, you know the drill. I want you done shopping and back here by four so we can run through the gear and make sure everything checks clean. Kuro, keep watch on Naruto. Keep an eye out for anyone masquerading as us, you know the signs and counter signs. We're going with Bravo Sierra for this one. I'll be running recon of the village, learning layout and such. Again, everyone back here by four. Check?" Cain stated.

"Check." Sera replied

"Roger" Ryu affirmed

"Yes sir" Kuro spoke

"Good. Disperse." Cain said, causing Ryu and Cain to grab their chosen escorts, Dog and Weasel, respectively and shunshin away, Ryu and Dog in a dome of earth, Cain and Weasel in a flash of fire. Sera snorted from her spot on the couch as Kuro walked over to the room Naruto was sleeping in and sat in the chair by the door.

"Showoffs" Sera snickered.

oOOo

Out on the street in front of a weapon shop, Ryu and Dog appeared in a sudden burst of rock, startling several civilians walking nearby. As they noticed the Anbu and his guest, they hastened their steps to leave the area. Shaking his head, Ryu walked into the weapon shop, Dog taking up a spot in the shadows nearby.

As he walked through the door, the tinkling of bells over his head announced his presence, catching the attention of the man behind the counter, as well as a small shadow hidden poorly behind a table stacked with pouches. Noting this, and raising a brow at the man behind the counter, who rolled his eyes and made a motion for him to just go with it and apology, Ryu smirked slightly before purposefully turning down an isle that made his back turn to the small shadow. The shadow slowly creeped out from behind the table and towards Ryu's unprotected back, wielding a set of wooden kunai in its hands. As Ryu appeared to not notice his shadowy stalker and continued to walk down the isle, grabbing things he needed as he went, the shadow suddenly rushed forward before jumping into the air and launching the wooden kunai at Ryu. Just before the kunai hit his back, Ryu seemed to accidentally dodge the projectiles while reaching suddenly for an item on a shelf to his side. At the failure, the shadow grabbed two more wooden kunai and dove back into the shadows as Ryu turned around and made his way back up the isle and to the counter to drop off the stuff he had picked up, winking at the man watching the counter.

Walking towards a different isle, again with his back towards the shadow, Ryu continued to show, still seemingly unawares of the threat. Again, the small figure tossed the wooden kunai at Ryu's back only to once again seemingly accidentally miss as Ryu suddenly bent over to retrieve something he had conveniently dropped at just that moment. The small figure growled at that, but before it could retreat to try again, Ryu turned and swiftly pegged all four wooden kunai he had retrieved using his earth manipulation into the ground at the figure's feet, two in front and to behind. The only difference is Ryu had attached slips of paper to the kunai, which sizzled upon impact with the ground causing the shadow to shriek with fear and freeze, before harmlessly popping out confetti all over the, now identified little girl. Grinning, Ryu took a moment to study his 'attacker'. The little girl must have been about seven, maybe eight years old, with brown hair done up in two buns similar to panda ears. She was wearing short green pants and a sleeveless pink Chinese style shirt along with dark blue shinobi sandals. As the girl opened her eyes and lowered her hands, she realized what had happened. Scowling at the man in front of her, who was grinning at her, she crossed her arms in front of her and huffed, turning her head to the side. Ryu burst out laughing at that, stepping forward to pat the girl on the head before moving to clean up the mess he had made.

"Not bad, little girl. Your accuracy for your age is quite advanced. If I were anyone else, you might have actually landed a hit on me. I applaud the attempt and encourage you to keep practicing. Though, perhaps, not upon customers to the shop." Ryu said, chuckling as the girl blushed bright red at the praise and light scolding. Giving the girl a smile, Ryu turned to the storekeeper, who gave a grateful nod to him. Smiling back, Ryu continued to grab everything he needed before returning to the counter, the girl shadowing his steps the whole way. As he set the supplies on the counter for the man to ring up, the girl tapped him on the arm. crouching and turning to her, he tilted his head to the side.

"Yes, little one?" he asked, causing the little girl to blush a bit more. It wasn't often an adult brought themselves down to her level, willingly, after all.

"My name's Tenten. Who're you, mister?" she said curiously. Ryu chuckled.

"I'm Ryu. Pleased to make your acquaintance, young Tenten." he said, holding out one hand. Tenten took it and shook it, smiling toothily.

"You're cool, for a guy, that is. Can you show me how you did that with the kunai? Pleaaaaase?" she said, flipping on the puppy eyes and clasping her hands in front of her cutely. Ryu smiled.

"Certainly, when you're older. At the moment, you lack the chakra reserves and control necessary to learn the technique. However, when you do possess the ability, I promise I will teach you, ok?" Ryu replied, watching as Tenten went sad then happy , then determined. She nodded and smiled at him.

"Ok, Ryu nii san. I promise I'll work reaaaaally hard so that when I'm older, I can learn that technique." she said, causing Ryu to chuckle once more before patting her on the head and standing. Turning back to the storekeeper, he grinned and shrugged as if to say' heh, kids'. Pulling out his wallet, he paid the man for the supplies before waving to Tenten and the storekeeper and, after sealing away the supplies into a storage scroll, walked outside to meet up with Dog before shunshining back to the hotel.

Cain and Weasel appeared in a flash of fire, walking down the street as if they had been doing so the entire time. As they walked, Cain noticed Weasel sneaking a stick of pocky under his mask. Grinning, he reached into his pouch and produced a box of mint pocky and, after popping open the box, offered his companion a stick. Weasel nodded in thanks and took the offered stick, swiftly hiding it away in his armor somewhere as the two walked along in companionable silence.

Turning down another street, the two soon came upon a park. As they passed through the park, they both noticed a couple of kids gathered in a circle around another kid, who seemed to be on the ground. Glancing at each other briefly, the two nodded at each other before approaching the group silently, observing the kids. A few moments later, they noticed another kid storming up to the group, a young girl with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes similar to Naruto. The two watched silently as the girl shoved her way into the group before coming to a stop between the group and the crying pink haired child in the center, facing towards the bullies. As the two watched, the blonde girl began yelling at the group of kids, causing them to grumble and move away, but not before one of the older, meaner boys decided to throw a rock at the two girls.

Before the rock could connect with its target, however, it was caught, redirected and thrown back at the boy, hitting him just below the belly, causing him to double over in pain.

"I wouldn't suggest doing something so dishonorable again, boy. Now get moving out of this park before I decide to use you for target practice." Cain said from his new position between the boy and the two girls. Weasel blinked, barely having felt the other man move, curious how he crossed the near two hundred yards in less than two seconds. Shaking off his surprise, he observed the interaction between Cain and the now blushing and giggling Yamanaka heiress and her friend.

"Wow you are so awesome mister!" Ino Yamanaka swooned, shortly followed by her new friend Sakura Haruno, who had hearts in her eyes. Chuckling lightly, Cain grinned at the two, causing both to blush even harder.

"Nah, I was just around. You two play safe now, mmk?" Cain stated, before flashing over to Weasel in a fire shunshin before the two walked away, the two young girls watching Cain adoringly.

The two walked along silently, touring several more streets and covering about half of Konoha before the two returned to the hotel.

All the while, neither gave any sign they noticed the stealthy stalkers they had picked up shortly before the park incident.

oOo

Finally back at the hotel, Cain called the group together for one last quick meeting to share notes and divvy out supplies. In short order, both Ryu and Cain explained in short detail their trips into the village, and their subsequent meetings with the children around Naruto's age. After a round of laughter at each of their stories, Cain nodded to Ryu, who ran through some hand seals and set up a real privacy barrier around the room. Turning to Sera, he nodded to her to go ahead.

"According to my research, Danzo is indeed a heavy hitter in the politics of Konoha. It appears nearly half the civilian portion of the council is in his pocket, along with the two elders. Some of the shinobi councilmen are also apparently in his pocket as well, whether they are being paid off or blackmailed is uncertain though. I was also able to dig up a bit about the man himself. Apparently, at one time he and Sarutobi san fought for the title of Sandaime, and he won, but was shut down by the Jonin council and the Fire Daimyo for being too much of a war monger. Still, he's apparently kept up with his supporters, and has increased his reach. Again, whether by choice or blackmail is uncertain. Though I'm willing to bet my data pad the majority are blackmail. On another note, apparently after he lost the title of Hokage, he created a secondary faction of ANBU called Root, one which embraced the original shinobi code of stealth assassination and dirty fighting as opposed to the flashy techniques and such of average ninjas today. Sarutobi san ordered him to disband the group after the last war, and officially, he did, however, it's widely believed he still runs the program from the shadows, using orphans he "adopts" by manipulating the paperwork. Other than that, he's just your average wannabe dictator who was slighted out of the seat of power but never stopped thirsting for it. So he's got the next best thing. he owns the council which makes the majority of the big decisions, though he has helped ram through some shoddy regulations to circumvent many older and more important laws, especially ones that deal with a single subject. Jinchuuriki. Anyways, that's all I could pull up on him." Sera finished, stunning the hidden Anbu with her in depth knowledge on the man. Cain rubbed his chin, deep in thought. he had figured as much about the man, just as he figured the four shadows he had picked up today were probably some of these 'root' Anbu sent to learn his secrets. Eh, well, he'd figure a way to deal with them later. For now, there were more important matters to deal with.

"Alright, thanks Sera. As always, impeccable job. Now, moving on, Ryu, supplies?" Cain asked, turning to his second. Ryu reached into his pouch and produced a large storage scroll and swiftly unsealed their new gear. The four each grabbed a pouch and filled it with their choice mix of the projectiles and wire available. Next, each grabbed a bundle of clothes marked for them and swiftly changed into them. Having worked together for so long, none of them cared about stripping down in front of the others. having changed clothes, the four finally reached for the last articles on the floor.

Cain reached over and retrieved the combat trench knife and sheath and swiftly attached it at the small of his back, quickly doing a test draw borne from long practice. Satisfied, he re sheathed the blade and sat back.

Ryujin grabbed an extendable tri sectional staff and swung it around through a quick warm up kata. Satisfied, he flipped the staff around and clasped it to his back using his elemental manipulation.

Seravina picked up her oversized double headed hammer, testing the weight and swinging it around quickly. Finding the balance good, she did the same as Ryu and stuck it to her back using chakra.

Kuro unsheathed two tanto, twirling them expertly before running some of his lightning chakra through them. Eying the blades carefully, he swung them in several sharp maneuvers before nodding and cutting his chakra to the blades. Sheathing them, he slung the custom harness onto his shoulders and placed the sheathed blades in their holsters. Turning to the others, he nodded. Cain looked to Ryu, who nodded and set up another barrier around the room where Naruto was sleeping, along with slapping a complex seal upon the door. If anyone tried to break in, they would instantly know. Turning back to the others, Ryu gave them a thumbs up. Cain grinned and turned to the hidden Anbu and motioned that they were ready to go.

"By the way, whoever's staying here to watch Naruto, a fair warning. If ANYONE attempts to enter that room, or disassemble the seal, first, they will be paralyzed from powerful lightning chakra, then, if they persist, the second zap will most likely kill them. Not to mention, it will immediately alert us and we'll be here in seconds with weapons hot. Clear?" Cain explained, getting nods from the Anbu present after which Anbu Cat stepped forward and nodded to the four.

"If you are ready, then we will go." the woman said before turning and heading out the door, her long purple hair waving in the wind of her wake. Grinning, Cain and the others followed, along with Snake, leaving Weasel Tiger and Dog to watch over Naruto.

On the way to their test site, Cain noticed the same four stealthed chakra signatures following them. Increasing his speed slightly, he caught up to Cat and murmured in her ear while seeming to keep focused on the surrounding area as they roof hopped. Nodding slightly, Cat signaled to Snake about their pursuers. Snake grinned under her mask before nodding and slowing slightly and dropping below the rooftops for a moment before appearing once more a few buildings up.

As the four stalkers passed by the roof where Snake had dropped down, each was suddenly struck from behind and bitten by snakes(go figure, heh) whose venom knocked the four nins unconscious and paralyzed. Tagging them for extraction to T&I, Anbu Snake signaled for another Anbu to pick up the baggage before poofing into smoke, revealing she was a Shadow Clone.

Back with the main group, Snake glanced up after a few moments and signaled that she had taken care of the spies. Cat nodded and led the group into the trees near one of the training grounds before descending and landing in a clearing, frowning behind her mask.

There in front of her, stood the entire civilian council and the majority of the shinobi side as well. In front of the council stood Danzo, his two elder buddies, and facing them, Sarutobi. As Cain and his group landed and moved over to Sarutobi, Danzo shifted his attention to them.

"Well, now that these four have deigned to finally show up, we can get this demonstration over with, shall we? Now then, go ahead and demonstrate what power you believe we should welcome into our village so we can decide whether or not to accept you." Danzo said, making Sarutobi frown.

"I do believe I have said it before and I will say it again, Danzo. This is a private demonstration, meant for my eyes, and the eyes of the Anbu Commander and the few Anbu chosen to take part alone. Now, you may either leave, or the Anbu can escort you from the area." Sarutobi replied, causing the civilian council to shout in protest.

"SILENCE" a voice shouted, amplified by chakra and elemental manipulation. Everyone looked at Cain in Shock and anger at his nerve for daring to tell the council to be silent. before anyone could say anything, Cain continued.

"Hokage sama is correct. You have no legal right to be here, let alone watch this test, as you are CIVILIANS, and this is a SHINOBI matter in a SHINOBI training area, so shut your traps. As for you, Danzo, you're in the same boat. you are a civilian as well, and as such have no right to be here or demand such things of the Hokage. Do not forget, though you may have at one time been a contender for the Hokageship, you are NOT Hokage, and as such, speaking up as if you can order around anyone as you please can in fact be viewed as an attempt to usurp the seat and is in fact a treasonable act and punishable as such. Now, as Sarutobi sama is the reigning Hokage, and as he has ordered you all to disperse, I suggest you do so, lest your actions be seen as rebellious and treasonous, to which the Anbu WILL respond as such." Cain continued, his voice icy cold and sending shivers down everyone's spines(no pun intended). Grumbling the civilian side of the council started to move off while the Shinobi side hesitated.

"I thought Takama san made it clear. Everyone who is NOT myself, the Anbu Commander, Anbu Squad Three, or Takama san's group needs to vacate the area NOW!" Hiruzen thundered, causing the remaining council to disperse immediately. As Danzo and his cohorts hobbled away, Danzo glared back at Cain with his one eye. On the inside, though he was seething for being outplayed by this upstart brat not once but twice, he also felt a sick glee that his four Root would be watching the test and report back to him. Oh how little he knew...

Back in the now empty clearing, Sarutobi motioned to the others to follow him as he moved into the trees and stopped near a particular one. Running through some hand signs, the tree suddenly disappeared revealing a staircase leading down into the ground. As the group headed down the stairs, the tree reappeared to cover the hole once more.

As the group reached the bottom of the stairs, they gasped in slight awe as the stairs opened up into a massive underground training area lit by several large chakra powered lights. as the group continued into the area, Sarutobi paused to let the Anbu Commander address the group.

"Listen up. we will be testing several areas of your skill sets today. First off there will be a type of intelligence test, dealing with puzzles and situational problems. Second will be a target test using kunai, shuriken, and senbon. Next will be chakra manipulation. If you cannot manipulate at least two elements you will not be considered for Jonin rank. however, if you can manipulate one fully and at least have the first stage of the second element proficient enough you may be considered for Special Jonin. The fourth test will be ninjutsu genjutsu and taijutsu. You must adequately perform a set number of jutsu to be considered for each rank of which the three Academy jutsu are mandatory, which are replacement, clone and transform jutsus. For genin rank, a minimum of one jutsu is required. for chunin rank a minimum of six jutsu is required. for special Jonin, twelve jutsu, for full Jonin twenty four jutsu for ANBU level and above, thirty six jutsus are required. For genjutsu it is the also required for a minimum number, including the release for genjutsu which is mandatory. One for genin, four for chunin eight for special Jonin twelve for full, and twenty for Anbu or above. Taijutsu is, slightly different. for genin and chunin rank, basic knowledge through proficiency of one to three different styles, special Jonin is six styles proficient, full is seven Anbu and above, ten proficient style and two expert styles are required. The last test will be a full combat evaluation. Are there any questions?" the Anbu Commander stated, as though he was reading off a card. Cain and the others simply grinned at him.

" Very well then. Let's begin."

Xx

And CUT!

Whew, that was a mouthful to type. anyways, you'll have to wait till next chapter to find out how the group does on their first test, then the next chapter possibly for the next...or maybe i might be nice and type out the full four tests for all four characters...i dunno yet.

Anyways, as promised, character bios for Cain and the gang. BTW I know I am making my oc's seem super powerful, but, in actuality imp not. I've actually leveled the skills and such they've shown to mid jonin level by my estimate. in my story, the difference in power between chunin and jonin is roughly the same as the jump between a 3rd seat and a lieutenant class Shinigami from bleach. and then from jonin to ANBU is the jump between lieutenant and captain class. then sannin/kage level is essentially twice the captain class. granted its a similar but not exact scale, its just an idea on the power level difference between classes. Essentially, any one jonin could match and four to six chunin, depending on the nin, then any one anbu could lay the smack down on any six or seven jonin at once. i mean, if you think about it, ANBU are supposed to be the elite second only to the kage( and sannin) and the sannin could decimate whole platoons of nins with just the three of them.

Anyways, BIOS.

Accessing Personnel Files...

Locate Zero Squad Leader...

Found.

Retrieving...

Name: Cain Takama

Age: 28/88/20 (before death/actual age from 60 year jump/resurrected age)

Height: 5'10

Weight: 160lbs

Eye: left brown right blue

hair: dark blonde

Appxmt power lvl: unknown, believed to be at least mid to high Jonin

Marital Status: widowed

Notable Aliases: Psychotic Demon, Cain of the two eyes. Lord of Hell

personality: compare to Jiraiya. Replace pervert with happy go lucky. leave seriousness alone.

Desc: Not much is known of the leader of Zero Squad. it is well documented that the man keeps his temper well through nearly any situation, though some instances have been known to trigger a mode referred to as 'psychotic demonic' mode by teammates, most often when enemies bring up subjects such as harming children or Takama's ex wife.

Clothing: varied. Currently equipped with black Anbu style pants, black sleeveless shirt and dark red and white flak vest. medical tape wrapped from toes to mid calf securing the base of his pants. reference picture of Kakashi Hatake for look.

Preferred weapon: thus far, the only weapon Cain has advertised using is a foot and a half long combat trench knife.

More to come as character is developed.

Locate Zero Squad Second in command...

Found.

Retrieving...

Name: Ryujin Fumodotoji

Age: 32/92/25

Height: 6'

weight: 220lbs

Eye: green

hair red

Appxmt power lvl: unknown believed to be mid to high Jonin

marital status: single

Notable Aliases: Stone Guardian, Old man, Grandfather,

personality: silent guardian except when it comes to children.

Desc: very little is know of this gentle giant other than he values children over his own life. Any who seek to harm children near him do so on pain of torture followed by excruciatingly slow death. can often be seen in parks playing with or even sitting and telling stories to children.

Clothing: same as Cain, except vest is dark brown

Preferred Weapon: thus far, the only weapon Ryu has advertised using is a tri sectional staff

more to come as character develops.

Locate Zero Squad Intelligence Officer...

Found.

Retrieving...

Name: Seravina Shirayuki

Age: 20/80/21

Height: 5'6

Eye: Hazel

Hair: dark midnight blue

Appxmt power level: unknown, believed to be mid Jonin

marital status: single

Notable Aliases: Hot Blooded Hellion, Frost Angel, Frozen Beauty

personality: snippy, almost snobby in most cases, has "motherly" or "sisterly" moments when around children

Desc: highly intelligent intel jockey. though most the time she tends to treat the medic of the team like a punching bag, in truth she cares deeply for all of them and sees them as family. Shares a close relationship with team Captain Takama, though whether it is familial or as lovers is as yet unknown.

Clothing: same as others, fit for female anatomy, vest is dark frosty blue

Preferred weapon: thus far, the only weapon Sera has advertised using is a twin headed hammer

more to come as character develops

Locate Zero Squad Medic Officer...

Found.

Retrieving...

Name: Kuro Noshu Kenshin

Age: 18/78/18

Height: 5'7

Eye: grey-green with flecks of gold around the pupil

Hair: midnight blue

Appxmt power level: unknown, believed to be high Jonin- Anbu, possibly kage level based on so far seen abilities.

marital status: single

Notable Aliases: God's Healer, Lord of Lightning

personality: aloof, almost childlike in nearly everything except for important matters, in which he becomes serious, professional, nearly a complete 180 from his normal demeanor

Desc: The youngest member of Zero Squad, yet quite possibly(and grudgingly acknowledged as) the second most powerful. Loves to play pranks and make jokes, even when they are at his expense. Usually the one who cheers the group up, despite being the one who stitches up the team's injuries, and having seen more than any boy his age should of the insides of human bodies. Seems to abhor fighting, despite being quite adept at the art himself. When situation calls for it, however, it would seem Takama's alias of Psychotic Demon would fit him far better. Like all members of the team, Kuro shares a deep respect and care for the team Captain, and would willingly follow him anywhere...except the men's room, or into bed with him.

Clothing: same as rest, vest is yellow-green.

There you go. It's not much just yet, mainly because I haven't finished fleshing out the characters, partly because they haven't really shown off anything quite yet. Expect this section to change quite often in the coming chapters.


	4. Chapter 3: The Test, among other things

Velcam tu ze next chaptur of ze Task of ze Gods... or something like that. I'd like to take this time to make a special mention of my particular officially unofficial muses/inspirations for the majority of the ideas for this story thus far. As odd as it sounds, seeing as the majority of the stories have little to nothing to do with my own.

A special nods of thanks for being unintentional sparks of inspiration and ideas goes out to such FF writers as Kenchi 618, for his awesome works that include The Sealed Kunai(which, by the way, makes for an interesting read for pro Danzo, and a Rootified Naruto), Sarakiel, and his(her?) story, Naruto: Tenshikage, yet another interesting read on a banished Naruto, Puppetmaster55 and his story Lucidity, which I couldn't step away from for nearly six hours, heh, Elredar Skydance with Naruto Angel of Death, Third Fang, whom I admit was a major inspiration with the story Yet Again, with a little extra help, and finally Darthemius, for his story Everyone has Darkness. Thank you for being my unintentional muses for this story, and while I know I doubt I'll do any justice with my own, your stories are all bloody awesome. I bow to your collective greatness.

Anyways, I'll figure out a way to pay some small homage when ideas generated by said stories emerge in mine.

As always, happy reading. Disclaimer still the same as previously stated.

xX

"Very well, let's begin" The Anbu Commander stated, motioning for the four testees to follow him. Sarutobi and his five Anbu shunshined to a nearby observation tower to watch the proceeding tests on cameras.

The four members of Zero Squad followed the Commander into a small building nearby. As they walked down the hallway and into a room at the end, the group observed their first test cautiously.

The room they had entered was quite large, at least a hundred yards long and fifty across. Positioned sparsely around the room were small tables with several objects positioned upon them. One table had a number of small rectangular blocks built into a small tower. Another had what appeared to be several different sized cups, a tub of water and a scale. Yet another table had several books, sheets of paper and writing utensils, obviously a written test of some kind. Another table had what looked like a scientist's lab equipment upon it. on the last table was a small hammer and a bell. As the four observed the tables critically, the Commander led them to the opposite end of the room from the table with the bell. Turning to them, he motioned to the tables.

"The first test, as you no doubt have guessed, is to solve the puzzles on each table and when finished, ring the bell at the end. However, there are several rules that go with this test. First, this is a timed test. Not only are you times on how long it takes to complete the entire course, but each table has a set time limit to complete the section. If you fail to complete a table in the time allotted, you will be penalized by adding a set amount of time to your overall time, which is a deciding factor in your overall score. Secondly, each of you will take this test separately. As you can see, there are no walls or rooms or anything, so for the purposes of this test, the ones not participating in the test will be blindfolded and placed under a silencing seal. That way, it prevents both helping your teammates, and cheating by finding out what works at each table. Now, to explain this so there is no confusion or misunderstanding. You may complete the tables in any order you wish, but all of them have to be completed or failed before you ring the bell. Also, you must complete and pass at least two out of the four objectives. At my mark, you will begin the test. Understood?" He explained, causing the four to nod and Cain to step forward. The commander nodded and proceeded to blindfold and set the silencing seal upon the other three.

"Good, then, on my mark. Go." the Commander said, swinging his arm down.

Cain strode over to the first table, with the block tower. Taped to the table top there was a paper with instructions on it, as well as a seal tag.

**Jenga.**

**Objective: Moving only one block at a time, remove one block from each layer without causing the structure to fall. If the structure collapses before the last block is removed, you fail.**

**Time limit: five minutes.**

**When ready, channel chakra into the seal tag. When time expires, tag will expel red smoke. If objective is met, tag will expel green smoke.**

Cain frowned slightly as he finished reading the instructions. Focusing on the tower of blocks, he noted there were ten layers, and each layer had three blocks. Each layer the blocks were laid perpendicular to the previous. Smirking, Cain channeled chakra into the tag, and began pulling blocks. Two minutes later, green smoke appeared from the tag and Cain was already moving towards the next task. A moment later he was reading the instructions at the next table.

**Weight-sensitive balance.**

**Objective: using the information given after the start of the test, examinee will fill the requested cups with water from provided tank and, combine them in the empty bottle on the scale to equal out the exact measurement required. This will be repeated twice using two separate scales, as each scale requires a different amount of weight to work. When correct amount of weight is applied to both scales, tag will glow green. if not, tag will glow red. Examinee has two chances total to get both scales correct, or else a failing grade will result and black smoke will expel from the tag.**

**Time limit: five minutes**

Cain observed the gathered jugs, noting the given measurements emblazoned on the sides of them. There was a 3.5 jug, 4.0 jug 9.0 jug and a 1.5 jug. Turning to examine the amounts required, he blinked. The first scale required 10 and the other 15. Shaking his head at the simplicity of the tests so far, he started filling jugs. A minute later he was reading the instructions for the next task, a green glow highlighting his back.

**General knowledge written test.**

**Objective: Obviously, complete the written test using the books provided, idiot.**

**Time limit: three minutes. Hurry up already!**

Cain chuckled at the instructions and got to work, finishing the test and moving to the next one two minutes and thirty eight seconds later.

**Mock poison antidote mix.**

**Objective: A comrade has been poisoned with the dreaded hangoverus fromus drinkingum. Using the ingredients given, create the required antidote known as the Hangoverus gonus.**

**Time limit: two minutes.**

Sweatdropping, Cain observed the gathered materials and swiftly went to work, thanking Kami Kuro had pretty much forced the team to take several medical classes on how to take care of such problems after the last time the team got messed up. A minute later he was up and ringing the bell, signaling the end of his run. Nodding, the Anbu Commander scribbled the time and the passing rate(4/4, heh) on a clipboard before gearing up the next person to run the gauntlet.

Ryu blinked slowly to readjust to light as the blindfold was taken off. Nodding at the Commander, he moved in position to begin.

Some time later, after putting out the fire that had somehow occurred from mixing several ingredients at the Mix table, the four Sweatdropping teammates and one nonchalant Anbu commander, (not to mention the observing group who STILL hadn't managed to stop laughing at the spectacle) left the building of the first test, moving outside and over to a clearing with wooden targets set up. The Anbu Commander made a hand sign, and the targets glowed slightly before it died away, leaving the targets looking brand new. Turning to the four, he nodded to the nearby table set up with four rows each of kunai shuriken and senbon.

"The second test. Target accuracy. Using kunai, shuriken, and senbon provided, strike the targets. Simple, yes? Now, each examinee will take turns throwing all ten kunai at their target. then, shuriken, then senbon. Points are awarded for each successful hit. The better the hit, the better the grade. Obviously, we are looking for accuracy, and accuracy means kill shots or incapacitation. Now then, first up, Cain Takama." he explained, motioning to the targets and throwing tools as he did.

Cain stepped forward, retrieving his first set of throwing tools. Stepping to the throwing line, he dropped into a ready stance, causing the Commander to step back and make a hand sign, causing a few of the targets to begin swaying haphazardly. Noticing this, Cain narrowed his eyes and concentrated, before throwing his kunai in quick succession. Standing, he turned and walked back to the group as the Anbu marked down his progress before motioning to Ryu.

Ryu reached over and palmed the kunai off the table, tossing one up in the air and catching it to test the balance. As he moved over to the throwing line, the others took a few extra steps back, making him sweatdrop. Seriously, one time, _one time_ you accidentally nearly neuter someone, and they never let you forget it. Shaking his head, he looked down range at the targets, which began to sway shortly before he loosed the knives. His eyes widened in shock as one of the moving targets swayed oddly at just the right time to allow one of the knives to strike it squarely in the groin, causing the others to stare before bursting out laughing so hard none of them could stand. Ryu dropped his head and turned to the side as an anime spotlight seemed to sine down on him. Why? Why must that event haunt him? Shaking his head as the others calmed down, he rejoined them as the Anbu noted his scores and motioned to the next up.

Sera grabbed the kunai and moved to the line. Eying the targets, she threw the kunai one by one, each one hitting a target with a resounding thunk. Turning back to the group, she noted all of them bent over slightly and refusing to look at her with a smirk on her lips. As the Commander noted her scores, Kuro stepped up. He grabbed five kunai in each hand and approached the line and turned his back to the targets. Closing his eyes briefly, he inhaled sharply before his eyes snapped open as he turned swiftly, going to a knee as he let all ten loose at once before standing and moving back to the group, leaving the Anbu to stare at the targets for a moment. With good reason as all ten kunai hit a different target, each in a different spot the would incapacitate without killing them. Shaking off the shiver he felt at the boy's action, he noted the particular skill down before motioning for them to proceed on to shuriken.

Twenty minutes (and unknown to the four, a round of betting by the Hokage and the Anbu upstairs) later, the group moved to the next test site, which would also be used for the fourth test.

The group was now in a large cleared area with a small pond and several large lit braziers nearby.

"Now we are on the third test. We will be examining your elemental manipulation skills here. If you cannot adequately demonstrate complete control over at least two elements, or complete control over one and partial over another, you may not be considered for rank above chunin at this time. First up, Cain Takama."

Cain moved over to the side a little ways from the group and, as they all watched, summoned a fireball into his hand, tossing it up and down like a ball before snuffing it out. Closing his eyes for a moment, he held out one hand and concentrated. A moment later, a swirl of displaced wind began circling his hand, slowly, then faster, becoming almost like a contained cyclone before dying away. The Anbu nodded before writing down the results. As Cain walked back to the group, Ryu stepped out to where he had been.

Concentrating, Ryu kneeled down, placing a hand on the ground momentarily before lifting it, along with a perfectly square block of the ground, which, as they watched, broke down and covered his hand like a glove before dropping back to the ground. Turning to the pond nearby, he beckoned with a finger and sure enough, a tendril of water rose above the surface and floated through the air to flow around his fingers. Letting the water fall to the ground, he stepped back to the group as the Anbu recorded the progress.

Sera moved over towards the pond, raising her hand slowly. As her hand raised, so did a massive wall of water. As the water wall reached about ten feet above the surface, it suddenly froze, as the surrounding air grew chilly. The ice wall stood for a minute before collapsing back into water as Sera lowered her hand and moved back to the group smirking, leaving a shocked Anbu Commander and Hokage.

Kuro stepped a little further from the group before turning and closing his eyes. As the group looked on, the air grew incredibly still, before suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning struck the boy out of nowhere, causing the Commander to jump back in surprise while the others grinned. The lightning grew dim slowly, until Kuro was revealed, holding the glowing bolt in his hand as though it where the most natural thing in the world. Tossing it towards the pond, Kuro ignored the crackle as it dissipated. Holding his hands over the ground with his palms up, he concentrated once more. The ground began to rumble gently, growing stronger before Kuro brought his hands up sharply, along with the ground in front of him in a fifty yard line straight up. Smiling, Kuro brought his hands down, causing the earth to recede back to its flat state. As he rejoined the group, the Anbu regained his composure.

"Well, then. That was, well, wow. Ahem. Now that the third test is complete, we shall move on to the fourth test." the Anbu Commander stated, before going into detail on the requirements and details.

In the Observatory tower, the Hokage and the two female Anbu stared in shock at the pure manipulation powers the group possessed. All the hidden doubts about the group's stories slowly started to leak away as they watched the display progress.

By the time the fourth and last test were done and the dust cleared from the now decimated field, the doubts were all but completely laid to rest. Not even the Hokage himself could cause THAT much damage and still be conscious, let alone able to walk away laughing.

As the Anbu Commander shunshined into the tower, leaving the four to rest in the lounge nearby, he allowed his legendary composure to drop as he approached the Hokage. Bowing his head as he saluted the aged man, he sighed, still dazed at the raw power the four possessed.

"The results of their tests, Hokage-sama" the Commander said, holding out his clipboard with the scores and notes. As the Hokage read over the paper, his eyes widened slightly as he glanced up at the other man.

"I know I saw nearly everything on the camera until halfway through the ninjutsu portion, but this is...well above the majority of our forces. I am completely glad they are not hostile, or we would indeed be hard pressed to take them down. Very well. I agree with your assessment of Takama and his team. Bring them to me." Hiruzen said, slightly dazed at the results of the last test. The Anbu Commander nodded and shunshined away, returning shortly with the four in tow. Hiruzen turned to Cain and opened his mouth to speak, but Cain turned his head slightly to the side, as did the other three before Cain looked sharply to Hiruzen.

"Apologies, Hokage-sama, but it appears someone has attempted to gain access to Naruto-san's room." Cain said swiftly, causing the Hokage and his Anbu to swiftly stand and everyone in the room to shunshin out and back to the hotel room.

As the group appeared in the main room of the Hotel, they came upon Weasel and Dog tying up four twitching chunin and Tiger covering another two forms with sheets, wisps of smoke and the scent of cooked flesh in the air. All three Anbu whirled around, hands on their weapons or halfway into making hand signs before noting who it was that had entered, causing all three to salute crisply.

"What happened here?" Hiruzen asked, his eyes narrowed slightly. Dog stepped forward after securing his captives.

"These six attempted to gain access to Naruto-kun's room through multiple forms of entry. The two heavily cooked ones over there under the sheets tried to get in through the windows outside while these four attempted first to distract us from the other's attempts and then attempted to force their way past us." Dog reported, while Cain motioned Sera and Kuro over to examine the captives both for information and medical assistance. A few moments later, Sera motioned Cain and the Hokage over to the one she was examining. As the two approached, she pointed to the man's open mouth, specifically, to an odd shaped mark on the back of the man's tongue.

"That's the seal Danzo used to put on his Root faction years ago, though this one is modified slightly." Hiruzen said, recognizing it. Leaning forward, he took a closer look at the mark before backpedaling, his eyes widening in shock.

"Exploding tag!" he shouted, causing everyone to jump back and Ryu to run through a set of hand seals, creating a thick down of earth around the man, sealing him from the rest of the room, as well as three more for the others should it be necessary. A muffled thoom followed as the one earth prison shuddered, before Cain swiftly checked the other three, who were, thankfully, tag less.

A collective sigh from the Anbu was heard as they secured the captives and prepared to transport them to T&I while Cain his team except for Kuro, who went into the other room to check on Naruto and the Hokage shunshined to the Hokage's office. Hiruzen took a seat in his chair and activated the privacy seals as he let out a long sigh. Shaking his head, he retrieved the report of the four's exam.

"Now, Takama-san. Your results, which were interrupted." Hokage spoke, lighting his pipe before turning to Cain. Cain and his team gave the Hokage their full attention,

"The report here says that you all performed the exam well above expectations and by far and above the vast majority of our shinobi. As it is, none of you are recommended for anything under special Jonin, if not full. Now despite certain...moments, during the tests all of you performed admirably, and have been scored as followed." Hiruzen continued, causing everyone who saw the test sweatdrop.

"Cain Takama, on the intelligence test, you scored four out of four passing grade on the kiosks, with a total time of twelve minutes, fourteen seconds. On the Target test, you scored seven killshots with three neck two heart and two headshots, and three incapacitation shots, with shoulder socket and one hamstringshot with kunai, five headshots and five neckshots with shuriken, and ten incapacitating shots with senbon, four of which would have caused a near death state, a passing grade. On the third test, you demonstrated mastery or near mastery of both fire and wind elements, earning you a pass. On the fourth test, you demonstrated forty-one ninjutsu of fire, wind or combined elements of varying ranks, not including the three mandatory jutsu, more than passing the bar for Anbu level. You also successfully cast twenty-two genjutsu ranging from support to combat to interrogation and torture, along with successfully releasing yourself from genjutsu, again, passing the bar for Anbu level. For the third portion of the fourth test, you adequately performed sixteen different taijutsu forms of which four were of expert or mastery levels and the other twelve were proficient to near expert. yet again, Anbu level or better." Hiruzen stated, before turning to Ryu.

"Ryujin Fumodotoji, you passed three out of four of the kiosks in the first test, finishing with a total time of sixteen thirty. The second test," Hiruzen chuckled here, as did the others while Ryu sweatdropped, "made nine killshots and one most likely excruciating incapacitating shot with kunai, ten killshots to the neck with shuriken, and eight incapacitating and two kill shots through the eyehole with senbon. On the third test, you demonstrated mastery or near mastery of earth and water elements. On the fourth test, you demonstrated forty ninjutsu of earth or water elements of varying ranks, as well as the three mandatory ones. You successfully cast twenty genjutsu of support combat and interrogation types and successfully released yourself from one. For taijutsu you performed eighteen different styles of which nearly half were of mastery of near mastery level, while the remainder were of proficient to highly proficient level. pass on all accounts." Hiruzen stated, turning to the next.

"Seravina Shirayuki. Four out of four with a total time of nine minutes six seconds. Might I add, the time requirements for that particular test were sixteen minutes for Anbu twenty for Jonin twenty five for chunin and infinite for genin. All of you did well in your times. Anyways, Second test, ahem, ten incapacitating shots to the groin with kunai, ten textbook killshots with two neck, two heart two liver and four headshots with shuriken, and ten incapacitating shots with senbon. Elemental mastery of water and wind to create ice, quite nice indeed, my dear. Then the fourth test, thirty nine jutsu ranging through water wind and ice elements, along with varying power levels and the thee required ones. Eighteen genjutsu of support combat and infiltration types, successful release of placed genjutsu. You performed ten taijutsu styles of which all ten were of expert or master level. Good job all around. A solid Anbu level ninja given your areas of strength outweigh lack in other areas." Hiruzen continued.

"Kuro Noshu Kenshin, in absentia-" Hiruzen began before a bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of him, revealing Kuro and the Anbu from the hotel including the Commander, all looking a bit dazed. As the Anbu regained composure and took their usual guard spots, and the Commander leaned against the wall behind Sarutobi, Hiruzen nodded to Kuro.

"Well, just in time for your debriefing, Kenshin san. Ahem, as I was saying. Kuro Noshu Kenshin. Three out of four in intelligence, barring the unfortunate odd accident with the mixing table, hm. Total time of eight minutes twenty-four seconds. Second test, in a remarkable display, ten for ten with kunai, ten kill shots with shuriken to liver kidney and throat, and ten perfectly placed senbon for near death state placement. As expected of a medic nin. Third test, extreme mastery of both lightning and earth elements, quite surprising as usually those two elements are opposites. For the fourth test, an amazing display of seventy eight ninjutsu of mid to high level jutsu of lightning, earth, or an odd combined element, I believe you called it Plasma style? Ahem. Along with fifteen lower ranked jutsu of earth and lightning types and the three required ones. Kage level reserves indeed. Genjutsu, thirty seven successful casts of support, interrogation, torture, medical, infiltration and light combat types, and mostly mid to high rank as well. Taijutsu, you performed fifteen styles of which four were expert and the rest were proficient. An amazing young man, you are indeed." Hiruzen finished, causing the three Anbu who hadn't been at the test to gape in shock behind their masks.

"Now then, I'm not going to go too into your combat evaluation, as I'm sure you all know how deadly you are. So I'll just keep to the minimum. You four performed on par or better than the Sannin in teamwork, ingenuity, execution of tactics and strategy. Therefore, it is the Anbu Commander's recommendation to award all four of you solid Jonin rank, with the choice of becoming ANBU if you so wish. He also states in his report that if you so choose to become ANBU, you'll be placed as Anbu Captains, pending probation etc etc. Congratulations, Takama san, Fumodotoji san Shirayuki san Kenshin san. keep in mind that you don't have to choose right away." Hiruzen said, causing the four to glance at each other in thought.

"Thank you Hokage-sama. If we do take up the Anbu mantle, we have a few conditions, including the ones we spoke to you of before. If we take up the positions, we only take orders from the Commander himself, or you. Nobody else. Also, we choose our own masks. Lastly, we want to be able to refuse a mission should we want to. I'm sure that's how it goes usually, but we want to make sure it is verbally acknowledged. Is this acceptable, Hokage-sama, Anbu san?" Cain replied. Hiruzen glanced at the Commander, who nodded silently. Hiruzen looked back to Cain and the others.

"It is acceptable. You accept commission into Anbu then?" he asked, getting four nods in response.

"Very well then. Congratulations on your promotion then. I expect you to have your chosen mask designs turned in to ANBU HQ by no later than tomorrow morning at 6. For now, you'll be placed in the ANBU barracks until we can get you situated with an apartment or house. Until tomorrow, you are dismissed." Hiruzen stated, as he swiftly pulled out the paperwork required with a mental groan. Cain and his team nodded and saluted before Ryu, Sera and Kuro disappeared in their elemental shunshins. Cain however, stood there for a moment, eying the piles of paperwork for a moment. Spying what he was looking for, he leaned over to examine a small seal, catching the attention of the Anbu and Hokage, who tracked where he was staring curiously. Spotting the seal as well, the two instantly moved forward to check it.

"Hokage-sama, I believe this is one of the causes of your paperwork troubles. This is an infinite restoring duplication seal. I'm certain it is causing certain paperwork with matching seals to duplicate as you work on them." Cain started, turning and running through the pile of papers on the Hokage's desk before stopping and pulling out several. Showing them to Sarutobi and the Commander, the two saw they were various bills and legislation requests from the council regarding Naruto and occasionally, bits for overriding laws that kept the council from gaining more power. Though the papers never specifically STATED Naruto's name, the bit of laws they were regarding were tailored towards limiting his rights. Sarutobi's eyes grew stormy at this as he calmly sat back in his chair. Turning to his Anbu Commander, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I want you to have your men summon the council for a morning chat tomorrow. Say, nine am? Is that enough time to prep and outfit Takama and his team for guard duty?" Sarutobi asked the Commander, who smiled darkly behind his mask and nodded.

"I'm sure we'll be finished by then, Hokage-sama. It will be done" he replied before shunshining away to set things up. Cain nodded to the Hokage before seeming to shimmer out of view.

Back at the hotel room, Cain shimmered into view, already moving towards his room to pack up. As he tossed what little gear he had unsealed onto an empty storage scroll, Sera poked her head into the room.

"Good to go boss, everyone's packed." she said.

"Good. Also, put a rush on your mask design, and let Ryu and Kuro know too. We have a meeting with the council at 9 tomorrow" Cain replied, placing an emphasis on the word meeting. Sera grinned ferally and nodded, heading to the others. Cain swiftly sealed his gear and stepped out into the main room, where the others waited along with two new Anbu, Rat and Hawk. Nodding to them, they all left in a shunshin. Moments later, they all appeared outside Anbu HQ. Going inside, they walked into an apparently empty and abandoned room before Rat and Hawk ran through a set of hand signs slowly, making sure the four others saw and memorized them. A shimmer later, and a doorway appeared in the wall on the far side of the room. As they entered the door, the group was met with a small dark reception area and the business end of two ninja-to and another set of Anbu, Ferret and Boar. Rat and Hawk made a few hand signs, this time in Anbu sign language, and the ninja-to were returned to their sheathes. Moving on, Rat and Hawk led the four over to the desk, behind which sat a middle aged woman with no mask, haughty features and sharp brown eyes. Glancing up briefly she noted the four unmasked faces and reached into a drawer behind her, pulling out forms and four keys. Setting the forms in front of Cain and his team, she motioned for them to fill them out, hanging onto the keys for the moment.

Cain and his team grabbed the forms and sat down, flipping through them quickly. They were revealed to be the standard disclosure forms, supply requisition forms for their Anbu gear, and a four page contract. Filling them out under the watchful eyes of four Anbu and the woman at the desk, the group signed the contracts and returned the forms to the woman, who handed them the keys and a paper listing the location of their room, as well as where the supply room and mask creation room were. She also handed Cain a note to meet with the Anbu Commander in his office later for their official instatement into Anbu. Nodding, the group turned and headed through another door that appeared in a shimmer on the wall and down the hallway to the supply room.

At the supply room, the four presented their requisition forms to the clerk, who took them and swiftly opened up a work log on a nearby computer where he input all the information on the new Anbu's height weight, sizes needed, gear requisitioned and such before disappearing through a door into the backroom. The clerk returned shortly with four storage scrolls marked with their initials and set them on the desk before inputting more data into the computer. Turning, the clerk motioned for the group to step into a small side room, which turned out to be where they would take their pictures for their personnel files. Once that was finished, the clerk had them sign for their gear both in writing and with a bit of blood and chakra on special paper before handing them their gear scrolls and sending them on their way.

The group continued down the hallway and finally into the barracks area, checking their paper for the location of their room. heading down the hall, the four nodded to other Anbu as they passed them, who nodded back. Finally reaching their designated room, the group opened the door and entered. The room they walked into was a bit bigger than they thought it would be. right as they walked in was a bathroom on the right hand side, and on the left, a small but useful kitchen. Further in the room there were two bunk beds in the corners un against the walls on either side of the room, with a desk and four lockers against the wall directly in front of the door. Walking in, the four lazily laid claim to top or bottom bunks by tossing their gear scrolls on them. A quick search of the kitchen showed it to be stocked with various canned goods in the cabinets, along with a fully stocked fridge. A microwave and a coffeemaker sat on the counter by the stove. The bathroom turned out to be quite well furnished with both a tub and a shower separate, along with soaps and shampoos, towels and such.

Turning to their gear scrolls, the group unsealed them, showing they all contained the same thing.

First was the standard issue uniform, with two sets each of blue and black Anbu pants and sleeveless shirts. Next there was two sets of black Anbu sandals with shin guards and leg tape. Then there was the standard Anbu armor, the chest and backplate, and forearm guards. Luckily, someone must have informed them of the group's preferred vest colors as each was in the color they wore. Along with the armor, were a set of Anbu Captain cloaks, all of them tan white. They also had the standard ninja-to that all Anbu carried, though Sera tossed hers to Kuro as she preferred her hammer. Other than that, the only thing missing was their masks, which they all got started on immediately.

Two hours later, the four were in the mask creation room, handing over their designs to the workers there. After a few raised eyebrows, the workers nodded and informed them the masks would be delivered to their barracks room by midnight. Heading back to the room, the group killed time by stabbing it with a rusty watch. Just kidding. The group passed the time till they had to meet with the Commander for the induction ceremony, which incidentally, would be just after the masks arrived.

A knock on the barracks door preceded the arrival of the group's new Anbu identities. getting dressed in full Anbu regalia, the four slipped on their masks and headed to the Anbu Commander's office. Once there, the Commander studied their chosen masks momentarily

Cain wore the visage of an Oni Lord, an Arch demon.

Ryu wore a mask depicting a stone golem

Sera chose the face of a frost wyrm.

Kuro chose the face of a metallic colossus.

The Anbu Commander thought it fitting, seeing as the masks were almost like a representation of their inner powers. Nodding slightly, he faced them.

"Well, I see you've chosen your masks well. Now, all that remains is the Anbu oath, the tattoo, and officially presenting your Masks and Codenames to the Hokage and the rest of Anbu. Come, the induction will take place in the meeting hall." he said, standing and heading out the door, swiftly striding down the hall. The four followed, slightly tense with anticipation.

In the grand meeting hall of the Anbu, all of the Anbu not currently on duty stood in groups with their squads or friends, some curious as to why they were summoned not having heard about the new recruits, others who had heard and were already planning on things to tease the new guys with. Others had heard, and were already giggling to themselves at the misfortune of the planners who obviously didn't know they were planning on pranking and teasing some of their new bosses. Ah well, it would be interesting to see their faces off duty once they realized.

As the door to the meeting room opened, four hundred pairs of eyes snapped to the door and the four new Anbu accompanying the Commander. Those who didn't know the new recruits were either shocked that the newbs were walking so close to the Commander, or laughing mentally that they had something to lay into the newbs about. As the Commander moved to the front of the room and stood on the raised dais, the four new Anbu marched with military precision into a line exactly six feet away from him and, as one, right faced to face him before dropping into a parade rest. The other Anbu shook off their daze and formed into their squads and stood in formation.

Gazing out over the assembled Anbu, the Commander noted some of the ones he knew were thinking they would be hazing the newbs soon. For that reason, he had had the four remove their cloaks before entering the room, leaving the four standing there in their colored armor.

"Anbu. We are gathered here tonight to welcome four new members into our ranks. These four have proven themselves to be exceptional shinobi among even our own shinobi in Konoha." the Commander started, causing many of the gathered Anbu to wonder who the newbs were, as the Commander wasn't one to praise unless it was truth.

"Tonight, we bring into our corps, four new faces, and four new loyal ninja of Konoha. My fellow Anbu, I give you, Anbu Demon, Anbu Golem, Anbu Frost Wyrm, and Anbu Colossus!" the Anbu Commander announced as the four about faced when they were called, causing many of the gathered to frown as they clapped. Weren't Codenames supposed to be animals? Raising his hands for silence, the Commander waited till the clapping stopped before continuing.

"Yes, I know it is not normal for Anbu to have masks unaligned with animals, but these four are a special case. Because, fellow Anbu, these four, are your newest Anbu Captains!" the Commander finished, as the four simultaneously unsealed their cloaks and donned them. The gathered ANBU had mixed reactions to this. While the overall tune was happy, the ones who were planning hazing and such suddenly had the blood drain from their faces as they realized they should have learned who the new Anbu were beforehand, as the new ones usually were inducted from the graduating class of Anbu School, rather than suddenly in the middle of the night. Others, were somewhere between anger at four total strangers, newbs being promoted over them, and disbelief that four ninjas had somehow gained enough power outside of Anbu to be considered Captain class without being noticed.

The Commander noted these and made a mental note to run them through the power gauntlet soon. Moving forward, he stood in front of the four and one by one, administered the Oath, and the tattoo to their arms and marked them as Anbu from that point on. At this point, a few voices called out from the crowd, questioning their validity as none of them had heard of any Konoha shinobi powerful enough to be Captains.

"SILENCE!" The Anbu Commander thundered. Immediately, the room was dead silent. Glaring at the assembled Anbu through his mask, the entire room, save the four new Anbu and a few of the other Captains shivered and involuntarily stepped back from the killing intent pouring from the Commander.

"You question the decision of both myself and the Hokage? Believe me when I say, I tested all four of these Anbu PERSONALLY, and the Hokage himself oversaw the entire test. These four, believe it or not, possess enough power they could probably take on any five other ANBU shinobi single-handed. Besides, the reason that no Konoha shinobi has been noticed with the power is because until today, they were NOT Konoha shinobi. Do any of you still question the validity of their rank and position?" He roared, glaring around the room. Amazingly, two shinobi spoke up.

"I, Anbu Chipmunk hereby formally contest the power and position of Anbu Captain Frost Wyrm" One said.

"I, Anbu Squirrel hereby formally contest the power and position of Anbu Captain Colossus" spoke the other.

"We hereby request a Trial by Combat to ascertain the legitimacy of their claim of power" the two spoke simultaneously. The Anbu Commander stared at them and started to reply, but Cain raised a hand and stopped him, causing many of the gathered shinobi to gasp. The new Anbu was a fool to attempt to order around the Commander! Amazingly to everyone though, the Commander nodded to him and stepped back, allowing him to address the other two Anbu.

"You two who have challenged the position of Anbu Captains Frost Wyrm and Colossus, front and center!" He barked in a no nonsense tone. Accordingly, the two Anbu were in front of him in the time it took to blink. Narrowing his eyes at the two Anbu, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"How long have you two been in Anbu, maggots?" he asked icily.

"Six years, sir" the two replied. Cain shook his head.

"Are you fully aware that you have not challenged two Anbu Captain level shinobi, but myself, Golem, every single Captain here as well as the Commander himself as well as the Hokage with your actions?" he continued, causing the two to recoil from shock.

"Do you get it now? By challenging the authority of an Anbu Captain appointed by both Hokage sama and the Anbu Commander, you have essentially challenged the authority of every shinobi above your station. But that's the good news." he continued, making everyone there frown in confusion aside from those who knew.

"Yes, that's the good news. the BAD news, is you just challenged the authority of the one person who can take on ANBU Seal Training level fifty alone and walk away laughing without a scratch, and a woman who can literally freeze your genitals off, and is standing right behind you." he finished boredly, causing most the gathered Anbu to flinch in shock as in the entire history of Anbu only the Nidaime himself could even challenge level 50, and even then, not alone. the rest, along with the unfortunate Anbu who challenged her, could only stare in shock as her ice covered fist wrapped around his neck and picked him up. Nobody had even seen her move.

"Let's take this outside shall we?" she said frostily, before disappearing in a swirl of ice and wind, the remaining Anbu following.

The entire group reappeared at the edge of a massive crater in one of the Anbu training grounds. Floating above the crater on a platform of ice, stood Sera, holding the Anbu by his ankle.

"See this hole, pukestain?" she asked the poor soul, her tone bored. The man nodded frantically.

"I did that earlier today with my hammer. Want to see what I'll do to you HEAD next?" she continued, causing the Anbu to lose control of his bowels. Sera wrinkled her nose in disgust and dropped him. Luckily, he landed on his head.

The other Anbu immediately turned and bowed to the Captains.

"I hereby revoke my earlier challenge I see now your power is genuine. Please forgive me" he said shakily. Kuro simply wave his hand.

"Don't worry about it. I get why you did it." he said flippantly, causing the Anbu and the other shinobi to blink at how young he was.

"Now that we are done here, let us get back to work. I'm sure you all have duties to be taken care of. Dismissed!" the Anbu Commander stated.

Everyone disappeared, heading to do whatever it was they needed to do. In the case of four very weary Anbu Captains, it was head back to the barracks, and catch some sleep.

xXXx

And there we have it. the entire test, rather than the single test chapter. i sat down planning it out and was just like...who wants to read six pages of the same crap being done four separate times? so I figured I'm get it all done at once and toss in a bit of funny bits here and there. i hate it when the ideas i have don't generate onto a computer well. it seems my story sounds much better in my head but once i have it out on paper...er...WordPad...if just bleh. oh well.

Anyways, next up, the council gets laid!...well, laid into, at least. till then,

Adieu.


End file.
